not what they do for had they known, they had not crucified the Lord of Glory: Therefore forgive them, and as many as fhall repent of their Sins, forgive them freely for this bloody Sacrifice which I offer. This Prayer was full of Comfort, Merit and Example, indefinite and univerfal, like the greater Light in the Firmament, that fpreads far and wide into the utmost Bounds of the everlafting Hills.

Such was our Saviour's Charity, that he prayed and prevailed over the Malice of his Enemies, the Severity of God's Juftice, and his own Sufferings; which fhould teach us to forgive our Enemies, and to pray for thofe that perfecute us, after the Example of our bleffed Saviour, Who when he was reviled, he reviled not again, and when he suffered, he threatned not. For my Love they are my Adverfaries (fays the Pfalmift in his Perfon) but I give my self unto Pray; As if he had breathed nothing but Prayer, and now watered his Prayer with fears and Blood: Be of good Comfort, O my Soul, for as much as this Prayer is for thee, and for all penitent Sinners unto the End of the World; Jefus faid once on the Crofs, but now he fays alwife, appearing for us in Heaven, Father forgive them.

The fecond Word our bleffed Saviour faid, was to the penitent Thief, who profited more thefe three Hours hearing Chrift on the Crofs, than the Difciples had three Years, feeing his Miracles So powerful is the preaching of the Crofs, and of Chrift crucified to convert the Soul, as it did this Sinner, who of a Malefactor becomes a Confellor, and now (before he made Supplication) wrought all the Parts of Righteoufnefs, declining from Evil when he confessed his Sin, and doing Good when he rebuked his Neighbour for railing, and proclaimed Chrift's Innocency, while others were blafpheming, believing with his Heart, and with his Mouth confeffing him to be Lord and King, and then puts up this modeft Petition, Lord remember me when thou comeft to thy Kingdom. O fo eafie and exorable as our bleffed Lord is to all penitent Sinners, The neither upbraids this new Convert with his former Course of

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Life, nor delays his Petition, but grants him more than he asks, and that with an Affeveration, Verily, 1 fay, I who came to feek and to fave that which was loft; I who am the Way and the Truth, and the Life; I who have the Keys of David, that openeth and no Man butteth, and shutteth and no Man openeth I Say unto thee, who hast been Partner with me in my Sufferings, thou shalt alfo be a Partner with me in my Glory; to Day thou fbalt be with me, whofe Prefence is Paradife, and whofe Love is better than Life.

As the Gates of the earthly Paradife were fhut for Sin committed by the First Adam, and kept clofs by Cherubims and

a flaming Sword, which turned every Way to keep Rev. 2.7. Sinners from the Tree of Life, fo the Gates of the heavenly Paradife (for Satisfaction made by the Second Adam) were opened to this Penitent, and to all Believers, as he hath promifed, faying, To him that overcometh, will Í give to eat of the Tree of Life, which is in the midst of the Paradife of God.

In fine, Here was one who had been a great Sinner in his Life, yet became a great Penitent at his Death, and obtained Mercy the none fhould Defpair, and but one (now fuffering for his Sins) that none fhould prefume; wherefore, as the Holy Ghoft fayeth, To Day if ye will hear his Voice, harden not your Hearts.

Our bleffed Saviour's third Word was to the bleffed Virginftanding at the Foot of the Crofs, attefting the Payment of our Redemption by that bloody Sacrifice for the Sins of the World Now when his Difciples were fled, and his heavenly Father feemed to forfake him, fhe takes up her Cross and follows him unto Death, whom he had accompanied in his Life: Now when the Sword of Sorrow and Grief did pierce her Soul, behold how tender the Son is of the Mother's Welfare in the midft of his own Sufferings, to provide an Attendant for her in all her Solitudes and Sufferings. Now when Jofeph was dead, and himself a dying, when he had no Houfe or Habi

tation of her own for Retirement; albeit fhe was a Princefs, of the Blood Royal, and of the Linage of David, a rare Example for dutiful Children to requite their Parents Care and Education. Woman, behold thy Son; he would not exprefs that facred Name of Affection, Mother, left he fhould aggravate her Grief, or expofe her to Contempt in the hearing of his Enemies, who were ready enough to blafpheme the Mother as they had done the Son. Behold thy Son, meaning St. John, as if he had faid, Behold one whom I have appointed to take Care of thee, and to Comfort thee in my Abfence; and again, looking to the beloved Difciple, Behold thy Mother, hereby transferring to him his. own

her asion, as it were to provide for her, and to Honour

Son fhould do his Mother; and from that Hour the.. Difciple took her unto his own Home. Thus when God takes away one Comfort, he gives another; therefore the bleffed Virgin weeped, not as thofe that have no Hope, but leaning on the Faith of his Refurrection, takes Encouragement from the Fruits of his Sufferings, which was the Redemption of the World. In the Multitude of my Sorrows within me, thy Comforts, O Lord, delight my Soul.

The fourth Word which our Saviour faid upon the Crafs, was that grievous Complaint and Expoftulation which he poured out in the Agony of his Paffion, and from the Ardency of his Love to his heavenly Father; Eli, Eli lama fabachthani, that is to fay, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou fo far from helping me, and from the Words of my roaring? To what Shame and Suffering haft thou expofed thy well beloved Son? How am I left like a Lamb amongst the midst of ravenous Wolves, to wrestle with the Malice of Men, and all the Powers of Darkness: Now the Sins of the Elect lay heavy on our Saviour, and however his humane. Nature was all the while infeparably united to his Divine Nature, yet the one had no Confolation from the other, but only that it was fupported from finking under the heavy Burden,; therefore, as a fuffering Man, and fadly afflicted, He cried out

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with a loud Voice, My, &c. I looked for fome to take Pity, but there was none, and for Comforters, but I found none; for these things I weep, mine Eye runneth down, because the Comforter that should relieve my Soul is far · from me: The moft grievous Complaint that ever was uttered by any Mortal, and the very Excefs of Sorrow, and of one wrestling, as it were, betwixt Hope and Fear; yet even in this fad Affliction and Suffering for our Sins, behold two Words of Truft for one of Defpondency, My God, my God, &c.

Thus he was forfaken of his Father for a while, that we fhould not be forfaken for ever; he suffered all the Severities of the firft, that we should not taste of the fecond Death: For in that he himself bath fuffered, Heb. 2. being tempted, he is able to fuccour them that are tempted, and deferted for a while, as it is written, For a small Moment have I forfaken thee, but with great Mercies will I gather thee: In a little Wrath I hid my Face from thee for a Moment, but with everlasting Kindness will I have Mercy on thee, faith the Lord thy Redeemer.

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Ifa. 54.

78.

Our Saviour's fifth Word on the Crofs, Sitio, I Thirft, this was both a natural bodily Thirft, and a fpiritual Thirft: Now his Veins were emptied, and his Blood exhaufted, which run like fo many Rivulets from all the Parts of his natural Body, to wafh all the Parts of his myftical Body the Church, and to cleanfe it from Sin. This was a fcorching Thirit indeed, and not the leaft of his intolerable Pains which he fuffered for our Sins: Therefore the royal Prophet fpoke of it many Years before in his own Perfon, faying, I am poured out like Water, and all my Bones are out of joint; my Heart is like Wax, it is melted in the midst of my Bowels: My Strength is dried up like a Potfbeard, and my Tongue cleaveth to my faws, and thou hast brought me to the Duft of Death.

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I Thirst. This was no great Reward he fought, a Cup of cold Water, for the many good Offices he had conferred on them, in healing their Sick, in raifing their Dead, and teaching them the Way to Salvation: Yet this fmall Petition was denied him, or the Potion fo imbittered, that it ferved more to inflame, than to cafe his Thirft; as it is written, They gave me Gall for my Meat, and in my Thirf they gave Pfal.69. me Vinegar to drink. If we confider his two former Nights waking, without any Sleep or Refreshment, or that fearful Sweat he fuffered in the Garden, which was, as it were great Drops of Blood falling down to the Ground: Or if we confider that prodigious Effufion of Blood, when he was fo cruelly fcourged all his bleffed Body over, by the whole Band of Soldiers, and now poured down from his Hands and Feet (which were nailed to the Crofs) as from fo many Flood-gates that had been opened, it was no wonder his Thirft was exceeding great, and more than ordinary.

This was likewife a fpiritual Thirft, for our Converfion and for our Happiness; therefore faid he to his Difciples before his Paffion, I have a Baptifm to be baptifed with, and how am I Straitned till it be accomplished This was a Baptifm of Blood and Suffering, when they pierced his bleffed Body with the Spear and Nails.

O that we might thirft as earnestly for the Glory of God, and our own Salvation, as our bleffed Saviour thirfted for both.

The fixth Word upon the Crofs was, Confummatum eft, It is Finished Now the Agony of our bleffed Saviour's Paffion was abated, and he began to feel thefe divine Confolations, which for a while had been fufpended, as when the Sun fprings out under a Cloud, and goes down with Rays of Light; fo the Sun of Righteoufrefs, our dying Lord triumphs over Death, and all the Powers of Darkness.

It is finished: By this our blessed Saviour confirms his latter Will and Teftament; and becaufe he could not fubfcribe the